Irvine Welsh (born September 27, 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel Trainspotting was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short films.
Biography from TMDB.
- September 27, 1958 (68)
- Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Writer, actor and producer
- 12 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are Irvine Welsh's films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 2 · Earnest 8
Light 5 · Serious 5 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4
Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 4
A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 1
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Irvine Welsh's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Irvine Welsh's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Ucpanej systém (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Reality Is Not Enough(2025)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Dick Dynamite 1944(2023)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Choose Irvine(2023)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Crime(2021)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Creation Stories(2021)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Strolling Through the Meadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
T2 Trainspotting(2017)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Swung(2015)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Filth(2013)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Magnificent Eleven(2013)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Ecstasy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Good Arrows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
The New Ten Commandments (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Nuts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Wedding Belles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Bad Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Trigger Happy TV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Dockers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Acid House(1998)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Trainspotting(1996)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Arena (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles from 1975 to 2026.
Film career
- 1996Screen debut· Trainspotting
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Irvine Welsh's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive2
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 53/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Irvine Welsh's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Irvine Welsh work with?
People who share at least 2 of Irvine Welsh's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ewen Bremner shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Danny BoyleShared titles: Creation Stories (2021), T2 Trainspotting (2017), Trainspotting (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Danny Boyle
Writers
- John HodgeShared titles: T2 Trainspotting (2017), Trainspotting (1996)See all 2 shared titles with John Hodge
Actors
- Ewen BremnerShared titles: Creation Stories (2021), T2 Trainspotting (2017), The Acid House (1998), Trainspotting (1996)See all 4 shared titles with Ewen Bremner
- Stephen McColeShared titles: Choose Irvine (2023), The Acid House (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Stephen McCole
- Ewan McGregorShared titles: T2 Trainspotting (2017), Trainspotting (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Ewan McGregor
- James CosmoShared titles: T2 Trainspotting (2017), Trainspotting (1996)See all 2 shared titles with James Cosmo
Producers
- Andrew MacdonaldShared titles: Choose Irvine (2023), T2 Trainspotting (2017), Trainspotting (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew Macdonald
- Jessica AskShared titles: Filth (2013), The Magnificent Eleven (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Jessica Ask
Mixed roles
- Dean CavanaghShared titles: Reality Is Not Enough (2025), Creation Stories (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Dean Cavanagh
- Jon HarrisShared titles: T2 Trainspotting (2017), Filth (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Jon Harris
